CLASSIC MISO SOUP

Many Korean & Japanese families have their own iteration of miso soup and here we share our family’s simplest version. While our recipe calls for few ingredients, this recipe offers a depth of rich flavor and umami. We recommend using a red or white miso and particularly love red miso in warmer months (in this simple classic version) and white miso in cooler months (it pairs with chunky vegetables and proteins well). Enjoy this as it is or let this be the base for you to explore and play with ingredients. We particularly love this base with little neck clams, diced zucchini, green leaf lettuce and shimeji mushrooms.

To make Dashi, wipe any excess white powder off kombu with a wet cloth, then soak kombu in 4 1/2 cups of room temperature water for 30 minutes. This should yield approximately 4 cups. Pour water and kombu into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove kombu and add bonito flakes. Boil for 1 minute while stirring, then turn off heat and let bonito steep for 1 hour. You’ll then want to strain mixture and squeeze all dashi from the bonito. You now have homemade dashi. This can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

To make Miso Soup, pour 4 cups of dashi into a medium pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. (If you plan on adding vegetables or protein, add them now and return to a simmer.) Using a small bowl or ladle, dissolve the miso with the warm dashi stock before adding the miso to the pot. Then add dissolved miso to the pot and stir, making sure there are no miso lumps. Add tofu and bring back to a gentle simmer, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with scallion garnish on top.